Editing Tip: Its & Whose (& It's & Who's)

Sometimes the English language is pretty straightforward, but a couple notable exceptions are its / it's and whose / who's. And while this may be a losing battle -- meaning eventually the apostrophe-s will probably become acceptable for both words in both cases -- it hasn't happened yet. So here's a quick way to remember which is which.

• Use the apostrophe-s when the word is a contraction. Who's is a contraction for who is only, and thus is only correct when it can substitute for that phrase. Likewise, it's is used only as a substitution for the phrase it is. Examples: "Who's responsible for this chair?" and "It's broken."
  

• The other two forms, whose and its, are used when the words are possessive, as in, "Whose chair is this?" and "Its leg is broken."

And again, in 10 - 15 years, the point might be moot, but until then show your superior knowledge of literacy and avoid mixing them up.

Next time: there, their and they're.

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